Business owners in Iklin fear they will soon have to pull down their shutters as road works that have dragged on for months are keeping customers away.
"Do you see this? I've had an empty shop for 10 weeks now. This is a new business, and at this rate, if works continue to drag on, we will not make it to summer," an irritated cafeteria owner told Times of Malta.
The Water Services Corporation has been carrying out works at the Iklin service road just off the Birkirkara bypass since January, despite plans for the job to be completed in a month.
Walking across a makeshift passageway that has been in place for months, the shop owner pointed to a new canopy he installed only months before the works started. It is now covered with splatters of cement, and he says he will have to replace it.
"The place is always filthy, and the noise is unbearable. I don’t blame customers for not showing up," he said, shifting empty chairs.
Machinery continues to occupy most of the parking spots, and plastic barriers used to cordon off some areas have been dumped across the street, despite not being in use anymore, the retailers say.
The place is always filthy, and the noise is unbearable. I don’t blame customers for not showing up
Most of the shops reported steep declines in sales, many exceeding 60 per cent. The owners of a popular toy shop in the area claimed they had practically lost all their loyal customers.
“We have lost customers who came to us for years because finding parking alone is a nightmare. The other roads in the area have also been regularly closed off, and the result is a 70 per cent fall in our sales,” they said.
The operators of a creative arts school in the area spoke of an unbearable situation, insisting injuries were not uncommon among visitors to their building.
According to the business community, the WSC sent letters with details of the works, scheduled to start in October. After complaining the move would have a negative impact on sales in the festive season, the corporation agreed to postpone the job to January.
“They made it clear the works would take a month, but other than that, we were left completely in the dark,” shop owners said.
At one point, they mulled the idea of coming together and seeking compensation for lost business, but they felt it would only mean more hassle and a waste of time at this stage.
“We have been to all the top authorities, taking time from our busy schedules, and it has all been in vain,” said one frustrated shop owner. While awaiting an explanation for what had caused the delay, the shop owners pointed out that, despite works being carried out from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, there would only be a couple of workmen on site
This, of course, slowed down the process.
“It’s all about lack of planning and complete disregard for small businesses like us, which are very much affected by this sort of thing,” they complained.
Questions sent to the WSC remained unanswered.